tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-83470212367391032922024-02-19T01:43:28.457-08:00The Poetry of the SymphonicMusings on the artistic process in a variety of media from a skilled amateur with frequent reference to his oeuvre. (Because we all like to show off our stuff.)The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-89644236283407645582019-02-19T16:40:00.001-08:002019-02-19T16:41:26.959-08:00Piano Concerto in C-MinorOn February 10th, 2019 Andreas Boelcke, David Peek, and the Town and Country Symphony Orchestra played my piano concerto. Here's how it went. :)<br />
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My thanks to all who helped to make this possible. And thank you all for listening.</div>
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Sincerely,</div>
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The Composer</div>
The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-72706082929119483022018-12-16T00:55:00.002-08:002018-12-16T00:56:24.051-08:00Announcing a New Piano ConcertoI'll try to make this fairly quick, but hopefully exciting. While I haven't posted much this year, I've actually not been completely dormant. For starters, I'm playing with an orchestra again, which has taken some of my free time. This might not sound like much, but it sets up the next part: That orchestra is playing my piano concerto, with the help of an old college friend. I give you the <a href="http://www.tcsomo.org/">Town and Country Symphony Orchestra</a> and their <a href="http://www.tcsomo.org/events/gabriels-oboe-from-the-mission/">annual chamber concert</a> at Parkway United Church of Christ. On Sunday February 10th David Peek will conduct the TCSO and <a href="https://www.andreasboelcke.de/en/home.html">Andreas Boelcke</a> in a performance of a keyboard concerto by Bach, Gabriel's Oboe from<i> The Mission</i>, and my first (and so far only) <a href="http://www.symphonicpoet.com/NewWorks.htm">piano concerto</a>.<br />
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Again, this will be Sunday, February 10th 2019 at 2:30 pm.<br />
Parkway United Church of Christ<br />
2841 N. Ballas Rd.<br />
St. Louis, MO 63131<br />
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I'm running a small fundraising drive on Kickstarter to offset my own expenses related to the project.(Most prominently a plane ticket to get the pianist from Berlin to St. Louis and back.) Please feel free to take a peek at <a href="http://kck.st/2E3sKV5">my Kickstarter</a>. You can buy a CD there, a score, or a few other nifty things. And anything we raise beyond expenses will go to support the TCSO in their mission to bring great free music to the community in western and northern St. Louis county.<br />
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Either way, please come to the show. I hope that you will enjoy it. There will be a little bit of something for everyone. And . . . it's free. (Best price ever.)<br />
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Sincerely,<br />
The Composer.The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-80471352383723266022018-01-20T19:18:00.003-08:002018-01-20T19:18:48.070-08:00I stand at the gate waiting<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I
stand at the gate waiting,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Watching
as you saunter away from me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">I
can’t help wondering how soon you’ll return<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Or
if you’ll think much of me while you’re gone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Loneliness
is a cloak: tight, dark, and cold<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Best
burned away by reunion’s bright fire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Embers
drowse, memories of fire,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Not
sleeping, quite, but fresh fuel awaiting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Absent
your heat, now quiescent, the cold<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Cuts
into my center, slows me, tires me. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">My
equilibrium disrupted, gone<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
peak, in trough I await your return.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">How
long until the return?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Two
weeks? A dozen? Time enough for fire<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">To
touch the roses? Petals drop, are gone<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">To
winter’s heart a new spring thaw waiting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Speranza
del mio cor<a href="file:///C:/Users/USER1/Desktop/DMA/Writing/English/Poetry/2018-001%20I%20stand%20at%20the%20gate%20waiting/2018-001-1%20I%20stand%20at%20the%20gate%20waiting.docx#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></a> do
not leave me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Dolce
desio in absence is cold.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">As
darkness to light so cold<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Stands
by heat, empty until your return.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">You
are the original cause, for me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">For
all my actions you spark the first fire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">T’en
vai haime, alas, alone, waiting<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Sola
mi lasci, addio. You’ve gone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">“Please,
oh please” I beg. “You’ve gone!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Now
I know why Demeter felt the cold,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Brought
winter when Persephone, waiting,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Ate
those seeds and failed three months to return.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">In
anguish she cried and drowned the sun’s fire<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">For
a season. Just so have you left me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">But
the myth brings hope to me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Anesidora,
when all else was gone,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Left
at the bottom of her jar a fire.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">When
my passes through all the cold<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Of
separation I see your return.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">The
sweetest fruit is born of that waiting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">Now
let me embrace the cold<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">While
you are gone, that when you here return<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">That
fire that animates me is waiting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">20
January 2018<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">To
Mai Hong<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div>
<!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><br clear="all" />
<hr align="left" size="1" width="33%" />
<!--[endif]-->
<div id="ftn1">
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<a href="file:///C:/Users/USER1/Desktop/DMA/Writing/English/Poetry/2018-001%20I%20stand%20at%20the%20gate%20waiting/2018-001-1%20I%20stand%20at%20the%20gate%20waiting.docx#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title=""><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><!--[if !supportFootnotes]--><span class="MsoFootnoteReference"><span style="font-size: 10pt;">[1]</span></span><!--[endif]--></span></span></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> From “Da le belle contrade
d’oriente,” a madrigal by Cipriano de Rore (1516-1565), on an anonymous text.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Speranza
del mio cor, dolce desio, / Hope
of my heart, sweet desire,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoFootnoteText">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">T’en
vai, haime, sola mi lasci, addio. / Alas,
you leave me alone, goodbye.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
</div>
The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-41845429489403674962018-01-20T19:15:00.001-08:002018-01-20T19:15:52.955-08:00We dance and we leap, erratic and bright<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We dance
and we leap, erratic and bright,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Frolicking
joyous against winter’s drear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We are
the sparks that challenge the night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">By
morning you waken us, strike in us right. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">You
teach us, beseech us to stand and be clear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We dance
and we leap, erratic and bright.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Quietly
growing at edges of sight<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We court
you, we warm you, and all who are near.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We are
the sparks that challenge the night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">At
noontide displaying our fettle, our fight<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We
kindle your yearnings to learn and to hear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We dance
and we leap, erratic and bright.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Now
swaying now shrinking with heat and with light<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">By
golden hours feasting, we sing with good cheer.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We are
the sparks that challenge the night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">In
evening, ere fading to embers contrite,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We hand
out our passions to those we hold dear.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We dance
and we leap, erratic and bright.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We are
the sparks that challenge the night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">16
December 2017<o:p></o:p></span></div>
The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-515230416499134592017-11-20T02:07:00.000-08:002017-11-20T02:07:06.852-08:00Classical Music VideoI'm not dead yet. In fact, quite the opposite. It was a rather productive summer, though not one when I wrote much. Instead I concentrated on recording. If you're familiar with my Studies and Inventions you'll know that they aren't studies in the traditional "if you do this you will learn to play better" sense, but rather more in the "I'm playing around sketching stuff with new techniques" sense that visual artists might use.<br />
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The first piece, Study No. 8: "Scherzo," plays with a heavy front loaded double dotted rhythm in the Russian style and some "black key/white key" games in something of the manner of early Stravinsky, which is to say the left hand and right hand aren't always in the same key precisely. Stravinsky sometimes called such pieces "scherzi" or jokes, so I've taken that title.<br />
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Next is Study No. 9: "French Moment." This one is a little more straightforward. It's mostly an experiment in modality, dancing between the Phrygian and Aeolian flavors of e. (Mostly settling on the former.)<br />
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At this point I started to get a bit more daring with my video production. (Marginally.) For the next piece, Study 10: "Something Jazzy," I decided to use that distinctly American style of splashy signage which is roughly coaeval with the music I wished to evoke.</div>
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I should, perhaps, confess that I actually shot this next video before the one above. But it is a much more complex and ambitious experiment. It accompanies a piece called Study 13: "Slate Grey Skies," to which end I felt obliged to play with light in more complicated ways. It doesn't precisely tell a story, but I hope it evokes a strong mood. I have particular adjectives in mind, but I will leave it to you, dear listener, to name them.</div>
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Lastly I wrap up with a simple but playful piece called Study 14: "Syncopated Rhythm." It's quite short, so there aren't any fancy cinema tricks here. Just a pianist. In a hat.</div>
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I did also record a few pieces by other composers. Since I, of course, play other people. Several of them can be found on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/SymphonicPoet">youtube channel</a>. Along with other sorts of endeavors entirely. But I will wrap up there for now. Thank you for following along.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Sincerely,</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
The Composer</div>
<br />
<br />The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-77430318112437513912017-11-20T02:06:00.000-08:002017-11-20T02:06:31.645-08:00Recording PoetryAmong other things I spent my summer and early fall experimenting with recording and crafting short videos of various sorts. Most were musical and told no story apart from a mood. But several were meant to accompany poetry, and this told a story of sorts. (Since I tend to tell a story with my poetry. Usually. Not always, but far more often than not.)<br />
<br />
The videos aren't all that. Two are little more than glorified slide shows, really. But the third involved some location shooting and a bone-fide actor. Unpaid. Volunteer. Which is to say me. Fortunately, the acting was quite simple. (I walked. I can't do much, but I'm a reasonably competent walker.)<br />
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Without further ado, three poems:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
a tiny flower</div>
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Westward Through September</div>
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Walking</div>
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All three can be found elsewhere on this blog, should you wish to see them in print. But I present them here more as they were intended to be experienced. As always, thank you for joining me.</div>
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Sincerely,</div>
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The Composer</div>
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The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-47736932754018374012017-04-16T08:20:00.002-07:002017-04-16T08:20:46.729-07:00Poetry for Springtime<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">My lover is the storm tossed sea<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My lover is the storm tossed sea<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And the calm after.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">She is waves<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cresting and falling in nearly<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rhythmic succession.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Each mounting taller,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The sea spray<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Broken from her by<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wind that curls her peaks<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Down onto my decks,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The troughs between, so deep<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They bear my keel,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Threaten to break me,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Bow unsupported as I<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Steer my course into the<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Swell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My lover is the oasis<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And the mirage.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am mad, dehydrated,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sun blind from her brilliance,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thirsting for the water<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">She shows me lying after the next<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Slipface, down the next<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Dune, in the secret garden<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Nourished from her hidden<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Seep.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My lover is the winter mountains<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">And the avalanche.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">She is granite feet,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cedar thighs, obsidian<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Glances, sharper than knives,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Snow and the sunlight on<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Snow, movement like<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Glaciers unstoppable,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Carving my world,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Cutting me asunder and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lifting me up, her springtime<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Waking my desert and filing my<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: Helvetica; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sea.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">21 March
2017<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-80122004421165975332017-04-07T12:18:00.002-07:002018-02-08T21:57:01.827-08:00Morning in the Sun and Other DistractionsSo it seems that in the midst of all the hubbub of the new year there were a few things I'd meant to post and never did. And now it's April.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubpVm5zg1Td8cj5Ny8SL7lzWuTxWP5BuOAW3aPhnA_SIRplJqGeP_5j42snSaFDotJ3wMLDePmAFSXfc6l0PXSz7P0kCAc7E_r4sddTPwBVrdsDMzebANb-Bx-X4WF-hnDl_KyH04uAY/s1600/DSC05367-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgubpVm5zg1Td8cj5Ny8SL7lzWuTxWP5BuOAW3aPhnA_SIRplJqGeP_5j42snSaFDotJ3wMLDePmAFSXfc6l0PXSz7P0kCAc7E_r4sddTPwBVrdsDMzebANb-Bx-X4WF-hnDl_KyH04uAY/s320/DSC05367-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Wherever has sweet time gone while I wasn't looking?<br />
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I've posted these one or two other places, so if you've already seen them I beg your indulgence. All are motion picture experiments of one sort or another. All are accompanied by music I've written and haphazardly recorded after a fashion. Two use my toys. One video was even intentionally designed specifically to go with that music, in that MTV way . . . if rock bands had no budgets and stood an inch and a half tall. All tell a story in one way or another. So, hey, they fit, right? Anyway . . .<br />
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Let there be video!<br />
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<br /><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/3pjnis45Asw/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3pjnis45Asw?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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I call this first one Christmas on Tartarus. The toys you'll have seen. The over-scale tree in the middle of town? What was that about sweet time? The two piano pieces aren't particularly recent, both hailing from the early aughts. But the video was from last December, so it's new enough.</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kyZD4bPZrjU/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kyZD4bPZrjU?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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This next one is more of a story, and less "classical", save possibly in the rock sense. And hey, that's 28mm me and my 28mm sweetheart, so maybe it's a love story.</div>
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(Word of warning: this one's a little longer and starts out slow.)</div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/O0liUdGi52U/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/O0liUdGi52U?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
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This last one is more of an "art" piece. It's really just a <i><a href="https://youtu.be/i4MXPIpj5sA">Koyanisquatsi</a></i> reference if it were a video for <i><a href="https://youtu.be/5LoUm_r7It8">Short Ride in a Fast Machine</a></i>. (Which . . . has been done, of course.) But hey, I think of this as Rachmaninov meets Glass, so maybe that's not altogether inappropriate. The piece probably owes something to both.<br />
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Anyway, thank you for watching. And listening.<br />
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Sincerely,<br />
The Composer<br />
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(See? I really do compose. Honest.)The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-43041038896360324662017-01-26T03:19:00.001-08:002018-02-08T20:36:12.141-08:00Ars Contra TyrannusHere's a somewhat special moment: a back to basics moment. I started blogging to write about music and got carried away with gaming instead. I do not wish to lose my sci-fi chi, but events can sometimes catapult you back to places you'd forgotten. This is one such case. For some reason I feel as though those of us who appreciate that magical spot at the end of the rainbow where we can feel welcome need some music to march to. We have a long walk ahead of us. In fact, a friend asked me to write some walking music for just that purpose.<br />
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I'm not really by nature a pop song composer. I'm a <a href="http://www.symphonicpoet.com/Fugueinc.htm">fugue</a> and <a href="http://www.symphonicpoet.com/Composition.htm">symphony</a> guy, so I had to venture into slightly unfamiliar territory to do this. I've done a few before, but not whole heap tons of 'em.<br />
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So this last week or so has been something of a learning experience. Not only did I write that walking song, but I also made some demo-ish recordings of it and several other popular songs that have been sitting on the back burner. First, let me give you a glimpse inside the Empty Pocket Studios . . .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9SqwvfV_Rk2AJyQ6DQyGbFnguHec46aiXhVdmo2JapSWmuwrHs8-8j44TqzdTmhyphenhyphenNX4ixwA736HEuJ48ZiXnWM22V7PcvVUlaFVnFfG60p4-P1OK76NsydkDlGRPB4YeYRvOBVtXseYw/s1600/IMG_5198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9SqwvfV_Rk2AJyQ6DQyGbFnguHec46aiXhVdmo2JapSWmuwrHs8-8j44TqzdTmhyphenhyphenNX4ixwA736HEuJ48ZiXnWM22V7PcvVUlaFVnFfG60p4-P1OK76NsydkDlGRPB4YeYRvOBVtXseYw/s320/IMG_5198.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>
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Please note carefully the expensive recording equipment dangling off the music stand. If it looks like something you might expect to see someone wearing in your finer Midwestern truckstops, it is. It's the headset off my low-budget smarty phone. And the cymbal is the same frying pan lid I played when I was four or five and climbing in and out of my mom's kitchen cabinets. Yeah, the instruments are real enough, and yeah, they mostly cost more than a microphone, so maybe my priorities are misplaced, but . . . well . . . whoopsie daisy. Emptied my pockets buying things that make noise and had nothing left for things that detect noise.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3lk87katuUDzFlsWRnSmP6FYg-b9YXV2Tdn8-mnXGaHYcZF20uOa18IQZXX2xcJtYxTtofwTHSJEBSH5EW9PPWvGdnxqQuGCDg0y7XnawAz0Bp9ma64mrdJUIE3ZopkH4BZYQs9TipU/s1600/IMG_5200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ3lk87katuUDzFlsWRnSmP6FYg-b9YXV2Tdn8-mnXGaHYcZF20uOa18IQZXX2xcJtYxTtofwTHSJEBSH5EW9PPWvGdnxqQuGCDg0y7XnawAz0Bp9ma64mrdJUIE3ZopkH4BZYQs9TipU/s320/IMG_5200.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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So I started last week off by making recordings of a couple of older things that I've wanted to render more presentable for a long time. The <a href="http://www.symphonicpoet.com/Noindex/Freedom%20to%20Ride.wav">first</a> was originally intended for a radio play that has, thus far, remained unproduced. It was somewhat the easier, as I let my computer do all the complicated instrumental performance work and I just sang. The <a href="http://www.symphonicpoet.com/Noindex/SP%20take%208%20mixdown2.wav">second</a> was more adventurous. I decided I wanted to play it myself. That's where the frying pan comes in. (It will be back later.) This one is a very odd bit of fan service: a song for a band called Mushrööm Klöwd.<br />
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I'll try to give these other pieces proper posts of their own later, but we're here to talk about protest. I'd been struggling with what to write until I looked over at my wall.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG63CWM0654zMJBUwVsPGk_mD_hr7Eh-1fv3uYQhMyvRWn0KG0P2ymqJYShFNsmN_VNKi5bZBMXn6NH2xBIt9qfPV2x_iEUXb3IoylAiQkYhtAgPhpDU0xDPwICMER5MAIBoht2t8fZxQ/s1600/IMG_5205-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG63CWM0654zMJBUwVsPGk_mD_hr7Eh-1fv3uYQhMyvRWn0KG0P2ymqJYShFNsmN_VNKi5bZBMXn6NH2xBIt9qfPV2x_iEUXb3IoylAiQkYhtAgPhpDU0xDPwICMER5MAIBoht2t8fZxQ/s320/IMG_5205-2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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This is a painting by a friend of mine, <a href="http://www.kerryhirth.com/">Kerry Hirth</a>, called "The Unfortunate Rake." My progress has been slightly more tangential to Bedlam than directly towards it, but this could well have been me at several points in my life. Still, Kerry insists there's no connection. Instead, she reports that it's based on a piece of music by the same title. An Irish fiddle tune, I believe she said.</div>
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Kerry has an interesting way of sensing the world around her. She strongly associates colors and harmonies. She can literally see the colors in a piece of music. This is a form of what's called synesthesia. I don't want to get into the technical woods here, as it's complicated, not my specialty, and there's quite a bit of debate anyway. Suffice it to say, however, that while somewhat rare, there's quite a history of it among famous artists and musicians alike. Kerry uses it as the basis of many of her paintings.</div>
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I, on the other hand, am not one of those synesthetic artists. I appreciate where she's coming from, and I'm darned interested to see what she sees when she hears my music, but to me, it looks more like an odd rainbow than music. I looked at it and I thought . . . rainbows: "The colors of the rainbow are hanging on my wall. The colors of the rainbow, don't ever let them fall."</div>
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So there it was, the beginnings of a song about rainbows. That's a good start. Of course, my wall was a little specific, so I worked to generalize the chorus a little better and wrote some verses for the details largely cribbed from the life stories of friends with some small artistic license. The stories are mostly painted in pretty broad strokes that would doubtless be similar to lots of folks. (Actually, a couple apply equally to several of my friends. Everything but the raft episode is pretty general, and that's the one I changed the most anyway.)</div>
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Without further ado, let me present to you the "Rainbow War Song":</div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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. . . . .</div>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>The Colors of the Rainbow</b></div>
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D. Ackerman</div>
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1/20/2017</div>
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When I was a young man I felt I walked alone,</div>
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A shining spot of color in a world of monochrome.</div>
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I fought to be my own man, to sing a different tone.</div>
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Little did I know then of the shining rainbow home.</div>
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Chorus:</div>
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The colors of the rainbow are standing proud and tall.</div>
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Each color of the rainbow, don't ever let one fall.</div>
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Let the people of the rainbow sing of peace and harmony</div>
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Know that if we march together our colors can be free.</div>
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Each person of the rainbow has a place inside the whole.</div>
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We will carry one another to reach our rainbow goal.</div>
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My friend, she was a young girl trapped inside a stranger's skin.</div>
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The preachers at the churches told her changing would be sin.</div>
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But she found the rainbow nation and she learned a different way.</div>
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The great big rainbow family had a different way to pray.</div>
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Chorus</div>
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Let me tell you of my old friend and his tremendous craft;</div>
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To escape from fire and flooding he built himself a raft.</div>
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By the light of our great rainbow he sailed across the sea</div>
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To a land of milk and honey he builds with you and me.</div>
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Chorus</div>
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The young woman fled the jungle where the war had taken hold.</div>
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She paid the price for transport with eight pieces made of gold.</div>
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In the belly of the trawler she was smuggled 'cross the sea</div>
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To the shining rainbow nation where her colors can be free.</div>
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Chorus</div>
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. . . . .</div>
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There is, of course, an <a href="http://www.symphonicpoet.com/Noindex/RainbowWarSongWet.wav">audio version</a> recorded by some half competent singer and pianist. (Maybe even three quarters competent if he would ever practice, but he did not.) This is really just demonstration grade stuff, not actual performance grade. Empty Pocket is largely empty of sound equipment, so I didn't invest that much time in the recording. The idea is to get this piece at least out there so folks as need it can use it and perhaps add their own verses if they so choose.</div>
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Anyway, so that's my last week or so. Thank you for listening.</div>
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Sincerely,</div>
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The Composer</div>
The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-87181644017927389622016-08-31T23:58:00.001-07:002016-08-31T23:58:50.523-07:00Once We Used Words<div class="MsoNormal">
What if, lying abed, you did<o:p></o:p></div>
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Not dare speak?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Paralyzed by fear<o:p></o:p></div>
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I hold my thoughts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Syllables burn up in<o:p></o:p></div>
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Searing white fire.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The feet tangle.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Two stand, but for<o:p></o:p></div>
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Three steps.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Directions lead where?<o:p></o:p></div>
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North, south, east, west?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Go down then<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Hear language<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Decay.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Sight darkens.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Mouth loses<o:p></o:p></div>
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Voice, breath. Have care,<o:p></o:p></div>
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Teeth cut more than tongue.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Draw signs, see portents, repeat.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Beware.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Ears communicate. Falsehoods balance<o:p></o:p></div>
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Facts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Others beside<o:p></o:p></div>
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Oxford know when this must end.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Without symbols signifying thought<o:p></o:p></div>
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Maybe chaos leaves humans<o:p></o:p></div>
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Equal animals<o:p></o:p></div>
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Again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Descend lower.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Touch<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Numbed<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Taste<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Captured<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Smell<o:p></o:p></div>
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Dissolved away like<o:p></o:p></div>
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Smoke. <o:p></o:p></div>
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All five undone.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Communication ceases<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
And both are love.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
8 August 2016</div>
The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-56145058487509242312015-02-26T10:14:00.000-08:002016-08-18T00:52:05.702-07:00Mapping DreamsThis is unlikely to come as a great shock to those even casually familiar with me, but let me say it: I'm a dreamer. Virtually everything that I have done with any enthusiasm over the course of my life has been an extension of those dreams. I've worked in theatre. I've written symphonies and short stories. I play games. Dreams even shape my travel, since I yearn to see those places that most inspire my own creativity. But perhaps most relevant to the story I've lately been telling on thisforum, I spend time crafting elaborate environments where the corporate dreams of myself and others can unfold. Sometimes this is expressed as models, which impulse is amply displayed in many previous posts. At other times it comprises scratchings on paper. I sketch out notes, character descriptions, lists of names, flowcharts depicting fictional organizations, family trees, and even maps . . .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7RDZ31mIrMZEjJ7NXERcRK7bSibQX4n4xRakkciqU5ZJK13-Q99JbI6dgVgUsr89vK9CILSi-GpXdZurzOz_9_Ib5XyNN7TdA_x4I1uwT_084GHdm02cNJh0fI_lYSb4ckGAComd0U0O/s1600/Learness+Manse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM7RDZ31mIrMZEjJ7NXERcRK7bSibQX4n4xRakkciqU5ZJK13-Q99JbI6dgVgUsr89vK9CILSi-GpXdZurzOz_9_Ib5XyNN7TdA_x4I1uwT_084GHdm02cNJh0fI_lYSb4ckGAComd0U0O/s1600/Learness+Manse.jpg" width="263" /></a></div>
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The above is an example of the sort of thing I might draw quickly for use in a single game. I'm not going to call it a "disposable" map, as I never throw anything away, but it's one that doesn't require too much time or effort but still conveys the information needed. I can look at it and use it as a visual reference as I try to get my players lost in the world. Sometimes I might even show them.<br />
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For a moment I'm going to step outside my story and along pass one small piece of information: The Compser's Cartographic Works is back in business. In fact, if you've a map you'd particularly like for a game or your wall, <a href="mailto:symphonicpoet@gmail.com" target="_blank">drop me an e-mail</a>. I'm accepting commissions. To skip the fluff and simply see what I can do <a href="https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/111593466549442139574/albums/6119281144599335729" target="_blank">take a look here</a>.<br />
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But if you've the time I'd like to take you on a journey of imagination through a fairy world, its history, and about thirty years of my own life. Come with me to a place I call Abithar.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjunGTU0J4D0CE3LskOYEyPH6jKfZ76tcwHPM7vE1xmpFCtUCLhnaaL2QIxuNiElrd26JxhVf8vzmnRLKVuAl1Gcn60MDxc1tlnO7CWA7_MGHBwOPjN27dV0o0KY1BxcRxVvYO0zvcAkd6Z/s1600/MapCollage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjunGTU0J4D0CE3LskOYEyPH6jKfZ76tcwHPM7vE1xmpFCtUCLhnaaL2QIxuNiElrd26JxhVf8vzmnRLKVuAl1Gcn60MDxc1tlnO7CWA7_MGHBwOPjN27dV0o0KY1BxcRxVvYO0zvcAkd6Z/s1600/MapCollage.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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It's a lengthy trip and it starts in what could be either an unexpected place, or perhaps an entirely predictable one. If you're geeky, from the U.S., and of a certain age maybe your first map looked something like this . . .<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWCUIyOGK2XdLfV7FY0zFTHEghq6Lne_s7amm58SLCgzAwORK0XkxS5O4cAAyad0PlpoKhW__96ceQViAUjmJjbWInNpNnfGHPf2vbxzaTswKAFZqbJer7axTgSkQ1ZJGByGb_z5wXOCc/s1600/Dugeon1v2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWCUIyOGK2XdLfV7FY0zFTHEghq6Lne_s7amm58SLCgzAwORK0XkxS5O4cAAyad0PlpoKhW__96ceQViAUjmJjbWInNpNnfGHPf2vbxzaTswKAFZqbJer7axTgSkQ1ZJGByGb_z5wXOCc/s1600/Dugeon1v2.jpg" width="229" /></a></div>
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What we have here is a dungeon map loosely inspired by Abu Simbel drawb on graph paper using standard elements taken from the D&D basic set that came in the red box. Ah, the musings of the ten year old mind. Mine was quite symmetrical but with just a touch of right-brain whimsy: note the little efficiency apartment at the back and the museum the players might visit if they survive a half dozen dragons, some trolls, three horned monsters, and so forth. (The little boy brain is a goofy place.)</div>
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Like most little boys, my first character was a "fighter," as recommended by the introductory solo adventure. In spite of TSR's nomenclature, I preferred to think of him as a knight. And knights need castles . . .</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZP0PyJ_DuX8aqY3lffoNKb3lcun-nuMBLfcz7KDSwrxpSiHoHfZKHGUHVXQUb_w4U4SnopL_ftl1QNQMceaw3-0O1iRR2CC3bb2lYinBBX8_wHmgLeR-b_uQZfGCRdjqoSvHmMrCGaEY/s1600/AbitharHallsOldv2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZP0PyJ_DuX8aqY3lffoNKb3lcun-nuMBLfcz7KDSwrxpSiHoHfZKHGUHVXQUb_w4U4SnopL_ftl1QNQMceaw3-0O1iRR2CC3bb2lYinBBX8_wHmgLeR-b_uQZfGCRdjqoSvHmMrCGaEY/s1600/AbitharHallsOldv2.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
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. . . and castles don't float in space . . .</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHMvit1WA41qS4_0Pjpnlzgk1uKa6ewgkdjRysd52fDmf-LvtBJLYktkfVzLFjUdalg7qOGglWLAGb9uy4lZiVQ7F7Yowce_koX05R8mg3df-wa1X7Y6S1wAHVxSqvcsaZB3Kt2yqYUA/s1600/AbirtharTownOldv2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHMvit1WA41qS4_0Pjpnlzgk1uKa6ewgkdjRysd52fDmf-LvtBJLYktkfVzLFjUdalg7qOGglWLAGb9uy4lZiVQ7F7Yowce_koX05R8mg3df-wa1X7Y6S1wAHVxSqvcsaZB3Kt2yqYUA/s1600/AbirtharTownOldv2.jpg" width="183" /></a></div>
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. . . so I had a third map. Ultimately, an eleven-year-old's fantasticalized version of Cornwall was born from this original impulse.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-E2lHxAImn6m1aSGUeaYq_f659RuBW73RDgbvkgxrqP7aOrMMnleRwEeSoZk42xW06hQ-A5Seg1nqXdCaD8YOZiOaZZ3yM7ho0LIBLwAfGoIBkgTp1IIrhYya9OQ-bTeU0kKMY4Yqm3H/s1600/AbitharProvinceOld1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH-E2lHxAImn6m1aSGUeaYq_f659RuBW73RDgbvkgxrqP7aOrMMnleRwEeSoZk42xW06hQ-A5Seg1nqXdCaD8YOZiOaZZ3yM7ho0LIBLwAfGoIBkgTp1IIrhYya9OQ-bTeU0kKMY4Yqm3H/s1600/AbitharProvinceOld1.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
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Abithar was an imaginative collage of every piece of fiction I'd read at that point. Places were stolen from Lloyd Alexander, Anne McCaffrey, Susan Cooper, and T. H. White, among a great many others, and dropped into my rescaled land. American boys generally have no real conception of the actual size or geography of England, so thar be mountains and dark ancient forests and many many times the acreage. The size has fluctuated a bit, alternately growing and shriking. The road distance from Abithar to Caer Dathyl, (or Dafyl, in later editions) has varied from about four hundred miles to perhaps six hundred, which is a bit larger than the two hundred driving miles between the approximately corresponding Kelynack and Bristol. Despite the coastline I eventually came to conceive of Abithar as a roughly England sized part of an approximately Japan sized country. </div>
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For a time, I was content to draw inside these new lines. I made castles for my friends, I connected Abithar Halls to the outside world via Portsmouth and a few bridges, and I began to flesh out the other towns.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPpsyLuD4okWAVUEUThv6ieG2uMWYVMqys1mDFsFDfWVOUbQh2Dq0Pv16EmsjWIp5NpVZdfrpDPIBxavpBW9GN53nF_Le0tT-SmtmdF6mNVMRDsSoYjebXNwZPHxwRgcz7H93bNARt_JeY/s1600/AbitharPortRd2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPpsyLuD4okWAVUEUThv6ieG2uMWYVMqys1mDFsFDfWVOUbQh2Dq0Pv16EmsjWIp5NpVZdfrpDPIBxavpBW9GN53nF_Le0tT-SmtmdF6mNVMRDsSoYjebXNwZPHxwRgcz7H93bNARt_JeY/s1600/AbitharPortRd2.jpg" width="246" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4W-q1NklEQ37xtTx91f70LWPtjVtli9BEDpgDXDYnbZmN9PJkgdXEStn4jnqeAueoGq60E3yq5R_lqK7Kuha66ZWFlnC_lrqLgOafd-m20SoQw07afVcfE2B88xQASQlM0E3LQWs92xg/s1600/CD1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4W-q1NklEQ37xtTx91f70LWPtjVtli9BEDpgDXDYnbZmN9PJkgdXEStn4jnqeAueoGq60E3yq5R_lqK7Kuha66ZWFlnC_lrqLgOafd-m20SoQw07afVcfE2B88xQASQlM0E3LQWs92xg/s1600/CD1.jpg" width="244" /></a></div>
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There was initially some ambiguity to the location of Abithar. It started in the South of England, but moved briefly to <i>The Forgotten Realms</i>, where it acquired a few new placenames and landforms.</div>
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At about this time the humble knight disappeared from the story, replaced by his son, who was perhaps my last bone-fide D&D character. As my own role changed from that of a player into the game's master the character was rewritten as king of a new realm.</div>
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One of my several complaints with the <i>Forgotten Realms</i> was that there simply weren't enough maps. I wanted more. The sixteen year old me set about charting my own corner of the world with tremendous care. <span style="text-align: center;">(The careful observer will note the forms of the original village in the center of the growing city immediately below.)</span></div>
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Frighteningly enough, there are more. This is a good sample from the period, but I was a busy little beaver. I mapped out large cities and tiny crossroads alike. By this point Tolkien had made his influence much more known in my fantasy imaginings and while the placenames from other sources were retained you might notice his ghost hanging over a few cities. Simultaneously England crept into churches and castles alike. In the meantime, I was growing increasingly unhappy with the setting. The graduation to high school afforded me with both better research materials and more artistic, historical, and geological sophistication. A bit of sketching one day and some experiments with continents breaking up and drifting about propelled on a variety of oceanic spreading centers led me to the realization that I didn't need anyone else's landforms.</div>
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Thus the humble castle had grown to an entire globe. All that remained was to refine the new world. Names would change. New maps would be crafted. A few minor elements might even move around. Obviously interruptions would eventually be necessary to shrink the ocean extremities and fit a flat vision onto a round dream. But the basic shapes of the world and even much of its contents were now set, so I moved on to crafting its history and ultimately fitting Abithar properly into it.</div>
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And there Abithar sat for some time. In college version 1.1 I probably did more role-playing than any time before or since. Consequently I got a lot less done. Eventually a fatal error in the programing left me without a regular role-playing group, but still longing for a fantasy fix. I turned back to my own maps. I now had a big fat college research library available, and several friends who had done time in the SCA. Lined paper and crude sketches no longer seemed appropriate, so I began revising, rescaling, and generally artsifying Abithar.<br />
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This last is still ongoing. As I work on it you, dear reader, are invited to commission your own gaming map. For a quite low low introductory price I'd like to try my hand at making a map for you, suitable for hanging on your wall or handing out to your players. The place names and land forms can be very much to your taste. It can be as simple as a pen and ink line drawing or as complicated as an isometric view or even a painting. Interested parties are requested to e-mail:</div>
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symphonicpoet@gmail.com</div>
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Uninterested parties are given my sincerest apologies for the rough ride. All are given my thanks for their patience. I hope you have found something here to your liking.</div>
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Sincerely,</div>
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The Composer</div>
The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-8430846685710875212014-10-31T14:07:00.000-07:002016-08-18T00:51:52.616-07:00Gas Powered PerambulationsPlease bear with me as I take one of my occasional breathers from the world of modeling and delve back into other subjects almost as far removed from poetry and the symphonic, but still closely entwined with art.<br /><br />A bit of background to catch up my newer readers: my wife is from Vietnam so I have recently had the pleasure of periodic travel to East Asia. While there I've spent most of my time in a lovely vibrant town once called Saigon and now officially designated Ho Chi Minh City. I've come to the conclusion that one of the more characteristic things about any given place is the way we get around. Ho Chi Minh is quite unlike most other places I've been. (And I've covered some distance in my short life, touching the soil of forty-seven states, nine countries, and three continents. Typically for at least 24 hours and in many cases quite a bit more than that.) The US is a car country defined by fancy highways of almost exorbitant length, with a few significant exceptions. (And even the exceptions have their share of pavement.) Europe, with less space for roadways and more people per square klick, is remarkably multi-modal.<br /><br />Asia, particularly South and East Asia, make Europe seem only slightly more densely populated than the moon. I expect most people have seen pictures of Asian traffic; the solid walls of people on the streets of Mumbai, the miles long parking lots leading into Beijing, the trains breathing pressurized human life in and out of Tokyo. Ho Chi Minh isn't quite like any of these. There are no trains to speak of. There is but one highway (though a second is under construction) and it isn't as yet a parking lot. And no one seems to walk much of anywhere. (I'm a little surprised people walk from their bedroom to their front door, but the houses are small and vertical and motor vehicles don't do stairs well.) So what is Saigon traffic? Motorbikes: mopeds, scooters, crotch-rockets, even the occasional cruiser. It seems as though all the bikes at Sturgis have been hit with a shrink ray and gotten very jiggy populating the streets and lanes of a large, but surprisingly compact Southern Florida style paradise by the millions. It may be the largest collection of two-stroke love on earth. And of course everyone is honking or beeping at all times, traffic laws are fluid, and signals are scarce. In short, it . . . is . . . FUN!<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ArItsFGa6es?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br /><br />Some minor temporal liberties have been taken, but I hope this gives you a flavor of where I'm going. It's a fun town, Saigon, a great place to relax, eat, visit friends and family. It's a busy, bustling place where a lot of people work and play hard. It makes for a truly memorable power-assisted walk in the park.The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-16973144618743863422014-04-20T23:04:00.000-07:002017-04-07T12:22:36.829-07:00Work, websites, and piano concertiMy most loyal followers might note that I am, as usual, overdue for the annual fleet review. I am sad to say that this will continue for a little while longer, but do not fear, ships will assemble in the harbor very soon. But first, a bit as to why this has not yet occurred. (After all, the Grand Empress just had her first jubilee. It is that time.)<br />
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Ships have lately taken a back seat to music . . . or at least thoughts about thinking about music. Or perhaps more accurately fury at a website lost. For somewhat over twenty years I, your humble composer, have been a minor functionary at the local ShowMe University Inc. I was mostly retained for the sake of hanging heavy things in the air once or twice a year. Well, said University has revamped their HR procedures. They used to purge the rolls of employees who had not worked for one calendar year. Now they do it every six months. One rigger who works twice, or maybe once a year never got the memo.<br />
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So I found myself without benefit of the free (though less than completely convenient) web-hosting services I'd enjo . . . excuse me, used for the last eight years or so. I have been reconstructing my website in the wilds of the internet, away from sheltered academic surrounds. In short, <a href="http://www.symphonicpoet.com/index.htm">I am back</a>. It took some real effort to get here, and there will no doubt be one or two bugs to work out, but I'm back. I may not be completely finished with my U career, since they do still need to hang heavy things twice (or once) a year, but the terms of any engagement will henceforward be different, more interesting. Indeed, more rewarding. And I will maintain my website elsewhere. More fun anyway. I pay a little for the privilege, but I have more freedom and better access. It's hard to complain now that the work is more or less done.<br />
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So if you can stand a little music, take a poke around my new demesne. I had long meant to talk about music on this blog and do so only rarely. I even have good reason to do so presently. I'm releasing the first elements of a <a href="http://www.symphonicpoet.com/NewWorks_files/PianoConcerto-I.mp3">Piano Concerto</a> into the world on my <a href="http://www.symphonicpoet.com/NewWorks.htm">new works</a> page. This is yet another piece whose thematic material came to me in the shower one day. I like to think of it as Rachmaninov meets minimalism. Sort of. With luck it's one of my more approachable pieces. In any case, I hope that you might enjoy it.<br />
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Sincerely,<br />
The ComposerThe Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-64114975704255746362013-11-15T23:18:00.000-08:002016-08-18T00:51:17.183-07:00A brief poetic distraction . . . Several years ago I wrote a poem while in transit between one place and another. At least, I believe that's when I wrote it. You see, I got home, edited it some, and promptly lost it. Well, I finally found it, edited it some more and appended the date when I think I wrote it. I hope the date doesn't make it fiction, but even if it does I still think it's one of my better travel poems. Without further ado I bring you:<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Information Dance<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Sound.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Color. The<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Air is a confusion of<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Information.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Esters bunch in pressure waves as<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Frequencies collide. One<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Wave transmits another, permits<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Passage, but<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Not<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Without<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Interference.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Photons skim past the<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Rarefied stuff of<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Matter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">In the same<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Space other ideas find<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Transmission.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Above us<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Grand algebraic<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Dragons bound among fluid clouds of chaos<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Transposing genes through<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Non-Euclidian space,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Fermenting synaptic construction and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Mixing,<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Matching, giving<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Passage while<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Changing like<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Two particles in a<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Vacuum.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">In this vast cosmic<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Radiation of information<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Our own attachments<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Are both<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Distinct and<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Infinitesimal.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Next to unity<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Beethoven measures the same as <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">I.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">9 December 2011<span style="font-size: x-small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-20680833937729696432013-05-14T18:55:00.000-07:002016-08-18T00:51:29.098-07:00A bit off topic but oh so important . . .<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here's a little photo-essay that explains a few things.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XpPV-wKyjK8z7FELhqm1MHsestkGipfb9ShbiOhp7eg-89cED-sfgAICEKN6NIFTwTqiMzoeq3KwYX97DwR6pj5IR6EPv4mLw8nDqTySPdae3PpXtshMmmdSGRccv9D_NINK_b4c5aic/s1600/IMG_0243.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0XpPV-wKyjK8z7FELhqm1MHsestkGipfb9ShbiOhp7eg-89cED-sfgAICEKN6NIFTwTqiMzoeq3KwYX97DwR6pj5IR6EPv4mLw8nDqTySPdae3PpXtshMmmdSGRccv9D_NINK_b4c5aic/s320/IMG_0243.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcoNpiD2dC956_tbkQCQsnA7VJHqJh7XVVx-ITOw-CwIC3TZmfwDvCuVCVz1IloKQ6iDgMUMYV5O0oBC1jWTq0Ph9uZSX-4-UQ8SMiSA5aU0r2VF-PN4xm0za921B4_guCUdKDezNBWk/s1600/IMG_0245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvcoNpiD2dC956_tbkQCQsnA7VJHqJh7XVVx-ITOw-CwIC3TZmfwDvCuVCVz1IloKQ6iDgMUMYV5O0oBC1jWTq0Ph9uZSX-4-UQ8SMiSA5aU0r2VF-PN4xm0za921B4_guCUdKDezNBWk/s320/IMG_0245.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5UvlRmrJdlyo-KxUqsWe0u7dLgmfJGTjLP_iKS069urusqgFdE8LuatNfGf0grf8rpZzzic5brjG8ctvw9tj1yVTCHXPEI2gGg69uUjlQ1Qz6wbcN-Sl4rHwJMmxFayaHxOfrBmZv5hc/s1600/IMG_0247.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW5UvlRmrJdlyo-KxUqsWe0u7dLgmfJGTjLP_iKS069urusqgFdE8LuatNfGf0grf8rpZzzic5brjG8ctvw9tj1yVTCHXPEI2gGg69uUjlQ1Qz6wbcN-Sl4rHwJMmxFayaHxOfrBmZv5hc/s320/IMG_0247.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGGIOOcaj37toNBfwGXkC-ZpbOVuYHoqybTftkymXPLTMHexy9ITNbdquVAXHIevxzH-zFzP22iMNJS-zO6bMzSjk0EWL2ENqtTJuX6r4RyHfejtE58ajmnojho2Lsj3LDbQpyg649AU/s1600/IMG_1130.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGGIOOcaj37toNBfwGXkC-ZpbOVuYHoqybTftkymXPLTMHexy9ITNbdquVAXHIevxzH-zFzP22iMNJS-zO6bMzSjk0EWL2ENqtTJuX6r4RyHfejtE58ajmnojho2Lsj3LDbQpyg649AU/s320/IMG_1130.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bdz2KdDKouK52hFMFNayiE4kRvSOOhVt-XlgDiV59rRscfx4ax9BiLkjF19FUX27Td1aJiIB0TM1aKt1B73RlxK9DhN3fVMgNyD7qTC9x4OXQ3ymAo_IfBzM7BTQtbb7UqhOrgrcweY/s1600/IMG_0259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_bdz2KdDKouK52hFMFNayiE4kRvSOOhVt-XlgDiV59rRscfx4ax9BiLkjF19FUX27Td1aJiIB0TM1aKt1B73RlxK9DhN3fVMgNyD7qTC9x4OXQ3ymAo_IfBzM7BTQtbb7UqhOrgrcweY/s320/IMG_0259.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">(The baby is unrelated. Well, not unrelated, exactly, but not ours.)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXcttS3d_lJAM3LY8pUr08OQii7thR0KFEYyNyJ3KGUfp_QCnxbSqsLFChfjwL8VWgxMrrzyF7u7-rdGe0P8Jrt-qlXYQcm3QojWX67Iqs6glulXfplN_Zc3HqDAYiZIduJYTMeKZ-xaW/s1600/IMG_0262.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTXcttS3d_lJAM3LY8pUr08OQii7thR0KFEYyNyJ3KGUfp_QCnxbSqsLFChfjwL8VWgxMrrzyF7u7-rdGe0P8Jrt-qlXYQcm3QojWX67Iqs6glulXfplN_Zc3HqDAYiZIduJYTMeKZ-xaW/s320/IMG_0262.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMGrQEI6oR-ibHshOO7QiFmcThkSaoFwf5rfByNu_tOIei0EcO1iwQe1Gn98Wlc8zarmh_YWXcIjTBe7FHmYwR2eek9auYv-aHh8bxFRHa_sIQUeoQ3KKHh0HTCvn1yRQ2p5W5vB6qocw/s1600/IMG_1350.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYMGrQEI6oR-ibHshOO7QiFmcThkSaoFwf5rfByNu_tOIei0EcO1iwQe1Gn98Wlc8zarmh_YWXcIjTBe7FHmYwR2eek9auYv-aHh8bxFRHa_sIQUeoQ3KKHh0HTCvn1yRQ2p5W5vB6qocw/s320/IMG_1350.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1yaUCet8P2xuNN_-2TPp5P6pWIeWl9igyY-dvXBiV_n2Kru7i37WGQT4pQiQJlksSNVBxV_E_PMFiTrxvQXPHMR1RNCO5VacLtCaonOX8mFbSonRt_EKRguZ-XCqOPSJpqfKXkUbveA6/s1600/IMG_0298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1yaUCet8P2xuNN_-2TPp5P6pWIeWl9igyY-dvXBiV_n2Kru7i37WGQT4pQiQJlksSNVBxV_E_PMFiTrxvQXPHMR1RNCO5VacLtCaonOX8mFbSonRt_EKRguZ-XCqOPSJpqfKXkUbveA6/s320/IMG_0298.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMjKA4rvGFWb_awt2gYNz5b1JO0FzYD-quljI41rXPzep2IhsG8VyEbvIyYCbjwkQlGpEXkTvcS2Z4SpfWD4MihEzLbY8pB48-bpYrcRUxPj3a0UOmEM-DyW2cQM6kxcC_nudGEXllEs/s1600/IMG_0300.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWMjKA4rvGFWb_awt2gYNz5b1JO0FzYD-quljI41rXPzep2IhsG8VyEbvIyYCbjwkQlGpEXkTvcS2Z4SpfWD4MihEzLbY8pB48-bpYrcRUxPj3a0UOmEM-DyW2cQM6kxcC_nudGEXllEs/s320/IMG_0300.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxJtCVL0d6Tm9JViVbIthgdt5FS54cf_hSbJzt7oySD77urli1HIW6U0Qcy7oFv-ONtOdGULMS4UnrqznMxk7OpIsiu7i47Fb1DMj2wSNxRvAcyN5HcvvM5WFuLeW_rl3FNymWckKziIy/s1600/IMG_0305.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxJtCVL0d6Tm9JViVbIthgdt5FS54cf_hSbJzt7oySD77urli1HIW6U0Qcy7oFv-ONtOdGULMS4UnrqznMxk7OpIsiu7i47Fb1DMj2wSNxRvAcyN5HcvvM5WFuLeW_rl3FNymWckKziIy/s320/IMG_0305.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYqSzKKGXZId26ta2LSTTC0BKu4kLCGeJw_uWuPUDeunD7Tjg0mN1B1mPNEQY-AbxNx-FfOYG6NvEZHvXVFjdZeI5WokQzTgVz6iktqJFrpwCjYAZ_Nc1NnfOjXZEviUhzJNv5hPk2z2A/s1600/IMG_1376.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsYqSzKKGXZId26ta2LSTTC0BKu4kLCGeJw_uWuPUDeunD7Tjg0mN1B1mPNEQY-AbxNx-FfOYG6NvEZHvXVFjdZeI5WokQzTgVz6iktqJFrpwCjYAZ_Nc1NnfOjXZEviUhzJNv5hPk2z2A/s320/IMG_1376.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SaqsbDNz2-jXJarO9u4hCQOBBuDyyCW8Y8C9rsl50dvdjdbdku_QlYG20QpXfM2B77INOFc9MNrM4xeViVWHsdU72UUZVtR4Ei44GwmRTViAn7gVLLI5tKxwodXWBcgR-GyZeDNa3fIK/s1600/IMG_0309.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5SaqsbDNz2-jXJarO9u4hCQOBBuDyyCW8Y8C9rsl50dvdjdbdku_QlYG20QpXfM2B77INOFc9MNrM4xeViVWHsdU72UUZVtR4Ei44GwmRTViAn7gVLLI5tKxwodXWBcgR-GyZeDNa3fIK/s320/IMG_0309.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This is a little overdue, but hopefully it gets the point across. Thank you.</div>The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-26430394814572909622013-03-22T23:50:00.000-07:002016-08-18T00:51:29.102-07:00The Face of the Earth or Where Have I Been Lately?First, to discourage the ugly rumors that might pop up when you disappear for six months:<br /><br />I am not dead. In fact, I am VERY not dead. I'm so not dead I'm getting married. (Death tends to annul marriages in even the most conservative of cultures.) Which also explains why the 2012 installment of the annual fleet review didn't happen in 2012. It's been rescheduled as a coronation review. More on that later. But for now I give you a few photographs from a recent trip to visit my intended Queen:<br /><br />These things tend to begin when you arrive in distant places. It's been my turn twice now. Next time she can do the arriving.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCY0UTXhbLsb6_LfTCRnERwY16czpsgK0l5aM7Ss-4c6XpNTTI8tm6MCF4iyOQliKsT_YjkUn61j_02bcfyy8vYGYkI-IPbow9drctcg7zjwpPm6vbUo8ibnyWs0g2L-Mk9U_222SINzgp/s1600/IMG_2942.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCY0UTXhbLsb6_LfTCRnERwY16czpsgK0l5aM7Ss-4c6XpNTTI8tm6MCF4iyOQliKsT_YjkUn61j_02bcfyy8vYGYkI-IPbow9drctcg7zjwpPm6vbUo8ibnyWs0g2L-Mk9U_222SINzgp/s320/IMG_2942.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once you're done arriving, you might pass an immigration interview.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Sxln2rVKDvEMnBrXBABbGO4JVl21dyS2iEyHSvw-89T-IDmpekEBKC31j_WiqW8hMAIc-wMYRLSK6JsEB5nsF6HMgdDT_aDNMX3-M5owdEnRK90qjeO2uVWVf1gtZAtOe0JsQy3O7Fc/s1600/IMG_0686.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Sxln2rVKDvEMnBrXBABbGO4JVl21dyS2iEyHSvw-89T-IDmpekEBKC31j_WiqW8hMAIc-wMYRLSK6JsEB5nsF6HMgdDT_aDNMX3-M5owdEnRK90qjeO2uVWVf1gtZAtOe0JsQy3O7Fc/s320/IMG_0686.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After which celebration might be called for . . . </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHIJ9KkYPDws8TeWuGDjjOq7S_z4lLWCHuIUrra8Zj9rM2lvOqjhZM6fYbcQZprKi_xunkLu6XGKYVoPDp1DNodwMLyvnUSAqmxXtaQQtoqdYhbQF8PhIbC_dOyx2YGHBmxMbYWFaoxo/s1600/IMG_0703.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkHIJ9KkYPDws8TeWuGDjjOq7S_z4lLWCHuIUrra8Zj9rM2lvOqjhZM6fYbcQZprKi_xunkLu6XGKYVoPDp1DNodwMLyvnUSAqmxXtaQQtoqdYhbQF8PhIbC_dOyx2YGHBmxMbYWFaoxo/s320/IMG_0703.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sometimes young Beans like to shoot zombies with peas . . . </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJNAPFOQWoUTyn1LYiIg1FIr7gI_pAOZiCxngIV-9euXkKdB1ASre5uGjMfDQiyywpvg7uB0bX-nMw8JE27qVrii4aMb8EobI1LAcKn87zx6iJqbn7ifdHqz9d-JSWaiNwa_dt2zar3s/s1600/IMG_0699.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiJNAPFOQWoUTyn1LYiIg1FIr7gI_pAOZiCxngIV-9euXkKdB1ASre5uGjMfDQiyywpvg7uB0bX-nMw8JE27qVrii4aMb8EobI1LAcKn87zx6iJqbn7ifdHqz9d-JSWaiNwa_dt2zar3s/s320/IMG_0699.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />More elaborate celebrations might call for trips to visit interesting places like museums filled with rusting locomotives. (I do have a somewhat anomalous definition of interesting.)<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFb_RCDzohSU4eXSBp0-AuNHZgvWboMvwV7IT6iqNhRgWyfuqQwSj44xPfeYQHUOy3D_3BqGEeU3ENpXxy0l4bMK1kchszlMgmO72H13SQkicH5j3ONsrIeOPiEQhwKqZbZPNnlisvpnCt/s1600/IMG_0718.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFb_RCDzohSU4eXSBp0-AuNHZgvWboMvwV7IT6iqNhRgWyfuqQwSj44xPfeYQHUOy3D_3BqGEeU3ENpXxy0l4bMK1kchszlMgmO72H13SQkicH5j3ONsrIeOPiEQhwKqZbZPNnlisvpnCt/s320/IMG_0718.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><br />Thank goodness she loves me. I enjoy my locomotives, but they'd be a lot less interesting without good company.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvEMnjNCwEQZoBhuLsx4rnKn6EynFCLfBvT-8AAASfM6S3-q-ZS3zWgieY7uMsZLUNtJfEIbQUBlmosoRKqlvMtQwOstzp5gyJ92lZ_iANYdKMNeqzVuiAQvInjbuvAEqm89_3HvoCdae/s1600/IMG_0724.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwvEMnjNCwEQZoBhuLsx4rnKn6EynFCLfBvT-8AAASfM6S3-q-ZS3zWgieY7uMsZLUNtJfEIbQUBlmosoRKqlvMtQwOstzp5gyJ92lZ_iANYdKMNeqzVuiAQvInjbuvAEqm89_3HvoCdae/s320/IMG_0724.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />Buddhist temples are also worth seeing.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhutuZkFr6lPO70qIxq-x1j0ma1DPJbuiO7t8BGMCFQ_IbSyxO5ZDWbUeuUZQFaF8dm2_5dWAOWpaSeS6s0CRDvZtTostD9xzskWdvknHcm5D_5rSw4WB-vl2n7rvSeBlCwBfwSNIT2gP4/s1600/IMG_0764.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhutuZkFr6lPO70qIxq-x1j0ma1DPJbuiO7t8BGMCFQ_IbSyxO5ZDWbUeuUZQFaF8dm2_5dWAOWpaSeS6s0CRDvZtTostD9xzskWdvknHcm5D_5rSw4WB-vl2n7rvSeBlCwBfwSNIT2gP4/s320/IMG_0764.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Yfe8eTK458qsB9Mm8d1nDkeXjsvF2MpLzaDCyeT35I_TBeocXS5bJUAQvrtSwjt5Pm5Zhs41kuyYH-T44n2YP1J0C_cNveujYAL4D8UwXtDS_GJPfY2-dLF2-mlUny4p3iUhWjqcm5Bl/s1600/IMG_0782.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Yfe8eTK458qsB9Mm8d1nDkeXjsvF2MpLzaDCyeT35I_TBeocXS5bJUAQvrtSwjt5Pm5Zhs41kuyYH-T44n2YP1J0C_cNveujYAL4D8UwXtDS_GJPfY2-dLF2-mlUny4p3iUhWjqcm5Bl/s320/IMG_0782.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><br />If you chance to visit Vietnam, do eat the food. The food is generally incredibly fresh and very very good. And the array of different eats is positively dizzying.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6L0nGd4QuxbGCe7JKwVid0S53qabI4jQr8SBA9JBDTIdG2p5Oje_i_uh4HaCYuZE_6yMr6Pq-9fWheXt7OOliIplj1dI3tAeX-7ciYoP_ieNX5_osO7ngNAinj1kThLGGwC0u0_FgUw/s1600/IMG_0786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir6L0nGd4QuxbGCe7JKwVid0S53qabI4jQr8SBA9JBDTIdG2p5Oje_i_uh4HaCYuZE_6yMr6Pq-9fWheXt7OOliIplj1dI3tAeX-7ciYoP_ieNX5_osO7ngNAinj1kThLGGwC0u0_FgUw/s320/IMG_0786.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />Did I mention temples?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho81N09dJ9FDdL8MGxuz652P6GbwssS5ji8TwIb6DfMYaKmlXzoquc9StDFdJcnwUXtfLPGPJ1fwsNBBQcODNwEGDHCEfrMXbRq7S1NWYw-NihS2-P9DrcFsvyuNv5V1Y0siWSMy7dp5EP/s1600/IMG_0800.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho81N09dJ9FDdL8MGxuz652P6GbwssS5ji8TwIb6DfMYaKmlXzoquc9StDFdJcnwUXtfLPGPJ1fwsNBBQcODNwEGDHCEfrMXbRq7S1NWYw-NihS2-P9DrcFsvyuNv5V1Y0siWSMy7dp5EP/s320/IMG_0800.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />The landscape is also quite lovely.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDqRFgkiknKMaDWiEv5o7DOOj6N0yi690Kmy4W19QlJjvWY1nG6uGFpVf7nBIFTrHk_rMkH1VFn38OZSZsHxkumrVpgw3EhAwN65EfORQyTFiBlI5LRDH4xhulFmcNqA2_vOaMOXEIvMw/s1600/IMG_0899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXDqRFgkiknKMaDWiEv5o7DOOj6N0yi690Kmy4W19QlJjvWY1nG6uGFpVf7nBIFTrHk_rMkH1VFn38OZSZsHxkumrVpgw3EhAwN65EfORQyTFiBlI5LRDH4xhulFmcNqA2_vOaMOXEIvMw/s320/IMG_0899.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdg3MiHY6IpIrQlBzYFWZ2uHc6Ba0Z9TsWC53WH0J74bwrsuWGzajB9ronQGsVJnkiO7tQ7eXr3tVO8baF1MeYehPrD_0FBVYfUOOYOhiRn9YPn8A7sufAX9g3b7c9X2eFmyiHl3d0GrzN/s1600/IMG_0930.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdg3MiHY6IpIrQlBzYFWZ2uHc6Ba0Z9TsWC53WH0J74bwrsuWGzajB9ronQGsVJnkiO7tQ7eXr3tVO8baF1MeYehPrD_0FBVYfUOOYOhiRn9YPn8A7sufAX9g3b7c9X2eFmyiHl3d0GrzN/s320/IMG_0930.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPEmReQMx8a4yI48BLwygjwi6PzelEUYqY15pViPPudGtL4uS8hYUqCaeeMQbl40SXigu1GHOktzby_Wb2gzDy0XWmPiy0msxM_LaF7S-vJ2l5oR51fFbc0rXcJTI8FvbKWeIA5hNBMrD/s1600/IMG_0944.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPEmReQMx8a4yI48BLwygjwi6PzelEUYqY15pViPPudGtL4uS8hYUqCaeeMQbl40SXigu1GHOktzby_Wb2gzDy0XWmPiy0msxM_LaF7S-vJ2l5oR51fFbc0rXcJTI8FvbKWeIA5hNBMrD/s320/IMG_0944.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since Vietnam is conveniently located between India and China (hence the regional exonym Indochina) Vietnamese religious culture is nearly as rich and ancient as Vietnamese cuisine. Buddhism is much more prevalent than Hinduism, but both can be found. I believe this is an older Khmer icon but I will not attempt to comment on who might be depicted.</div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDJELXgG9Fbq52thNinOwTqHeFjJxPZDZJxxYtfpY92LtBFuk8bZ5zuxiWlUdVvsX6cqkfT-zk2CQRqIUCnu8c4WdYsdHI59ZbJafcWvYiyD6wz7Rb5kSzNqnBusprIy0_PlvjSo0opEf/s1600/IMG_1029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDJELXgG9Fbq52thNinOwTqHeFjJxPZDZJxxYtfpY92LtBFuk8bZ5zuxiWlUdVvsX6cqkfT-zk2CQRqIUCnu8c4WdYsdHI59ZbJafcWvYiyD6wz7Rb5kSzNqnBusprIy0_PlvjSo0opEf/s320/IMG_1029.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />Somewhere in the above room I can only surmise there must also have been an icon of Shiva. As it happens, he's not the only creator/destroyer who can dance.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVa5iUJ8ObUbCu2977KO6TC-5cDA4O6fkBtiZhWdiWJytVcQnO59N0YUgvD6E55NeLIC2Mf7XIg1g1LOMiFH5ZXiYrbzWO9ih6v714iOoJfQhLYrO_wy1HqkyLpEJcE4LHZ6qlTyzyr4/s1600/IMG_1027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAVa5iUJ8ObUbCu2977KO6TC-5cDA4O6fkBtiZhWdiWJytVcQnO59N0YUgvD6E55NeLIC2Mf7XIg1g1LOMiFH5ZXiYrbzWO9ih6v714iOoJfQhLYrO_wy1HqkyLpEJcE4LHZ6qlTyzyr4/s320/IMG_1027.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><br />Of course, smiles from loved ones do give us a reason to dance. Cam on em yeu. Gap lai em rat sau.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpqIx4OM58rmSTlSgn0LqUkgXaAdbVRxnsu1_83xax6DhlIj_mE-iWE302aCZxY1MODdugjaONF_rxWpTgfCNOrzSvhdHPk3O_MRdGMftU43KNKAwwzcBVTlpz8cq341YSdfNE_lJHS13/s1600/IMG_1042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHpqIx4OM58rmSTlSgn0LqUkgXaAdbVRxnsu1_83xax6DhlIj_mE-iWE302aCZxY1MODdugjaONF_rxWpTgfCNOrzSvhdHPk3O_MRdGMftU43KNKAwwzcBVTlpz8cq341YSdfNE_lJHS13/s320/IMG_1042.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiDJELXgG9Fbq52thNinOwTqHeFjJxPZDZJxxYtfpY92LtBFuk8bZ5zuxiWlUdVvsX6cqkfT-zk2CQRqIUCnu8c4WdYsdHI59ZbJafcWvYiyD6wz7Rb5kSzNqnBusprIy0_PlvjSo0opEf/s1600/IMG_1029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a>The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-47868944231916937942012-07-26T19:55:00.000-07:002016-08-18T00:51:29.106-07:00I wonder if the human heart<div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">I wonder if the human heart is like the weather.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Does it, in spring, blow hard by degrees,</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">One day hot, the next cold, damp, and grey?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Is it ever frozen by winter's sorrows, or</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Cut off in its promise by a late frost or</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">An early storm leaving only moments;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Scrap paper and dried roses like fallen leaves?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Does it ever have the constancy of tropical summer,</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Before the rain, hot and still, smothering you with</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Patches of brilliantly colored air sewn into a</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Crazy quilt of romance and desire, touched here</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">And there with thick thread of pungent fruit;</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Of fish sauce and tittering laughter as we both smile</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Coyly, embarrassed by our sudden shyness?</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">December 2011</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">To Luong Thi Mai Hong</span></div>The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-65248291400168098172012-04-16T10:49:00.000-07:002017-04-07T12:22:45.123-07:00Music and MiniaturesI've been involved in an online discussion lately where a group of us are trying to refight the Second World War as Japan. We represent a kinder gentler Japan. (Though one still bent on securing the resources we need for independence. And liberating East Asia from colonial oppression seems the way to go about it.) For the most part this has involved cleaning up our military, treating the locals with decency so that we can gain their support, waging a PR campaign in the United States so that the electorate there knows that we genuinely have swept away Tojo and the militaristic nationalists, and of course lots and lots of logistics. (How many c. 5" rifles can we build? How many graving docks over 600' do we have? How much steel? How much rubber? How much bauxite can we get from Indochina? How much oil from Borneo? How many additional merchant hulls will we need? How can we prevent losses? How much efficiency will we lose by instituting a convoy system? Can we afford conversions? Destroyers? Carriers? You get the idea.)<br />
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Well, in the midst of all this serious talk our esteemed Prime Minister, while talking about what to call some of our proposed special use infantry units, suggested "storm troopers" and wondered if we could get someone from Hollywood to write some theme music. Well, that was enough for the good Admiral Noka Shijin. In his academy days his friends called him "Shinfonikku Shijin." (Or Symphonic Poet if you prefer English.) So he blew the dust off some "theme music" and posted a couple of videos to YouTube featuring our fleet, and one with some trolls and goblins just for entertainment. (Should we wish to be evil and twirl our mustaches.)</div>
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Since this is falls at the very intersection of all that I try to write about here, save for the poetry, I would be quite remiss if I didn't repost it . . .</div>
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So, if you want to hear my third symphony, you can listen to the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWFWMWjMS1I&list=UUT8mMzOsoAu5Cm8qrOUAouw&index=2&feature=plpp_video">first movement</a> on YouTube.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">Since it's longer than their beblasted ten minute limit there's also a </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ioRTRkuaKWE&list=UUT8mMzOsoAu5Cm8qrOUAouw&index=1&feature=plpp_video" style="font-size: 100%;">second part</a><span style="font-size: 100%;"> to said first movement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 100%;">And the </span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mx-1Q5xefVQ&list=UUT8mMzOsoAu5Cm8qrOUAouw&index=3&feature=plpp_video" style="font-size: 100%;">mustache twirling</a><span style="font-size: 100%;"> (from a ballet I wrote for my late sister) is also available for your listening pleasure. (With orcs.)</span></div>
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Sincerely,</div>
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The Composer</div>
The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-73885549569528266682011-12-19T07:55:00.000-08:002016-08-18T00:47:44.659-07:00And finally . . .The two of us.<br />
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For everyone else who has wished us well.<br />
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And finally, a little blurry, but well . . .</div>
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Thank you all.</div>
The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-35643656226762130962011-12-19T07:11:00.000-08:002016-08-18T00:46:40.715-07:00Narita JapanThere are two posts I should really add to make the travelog complete, but I'm going to post them in reverse order. This will be the very last thing I did. After leaving Ho Chi Minh City I had a lengthy layover in Narita Japan and decided to go exploring just a little. My primary goal was to find and explore a rather old Shigon Buddhist temple called "Naritasan Shinshoji" or "Narita Mountain New Victory Temple." This "new" temple having been founded in 940, apparently, and being one of the oldest in the Kanto region. (Thank you Wikipedia.)<br />
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So I took a train into town, bought some breakfast at a lovely little cafe, and commenced wandering around. When that failed to net me an old temple, I went back to the train station and got a map. Worked much better.<br />
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It was in an older picturesque part of town with lovely narrow streets and lots of traditional buildings (and plenty of police peep cams.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5QPMGInhdpNpqe8QEu_60IbQK4IZWZ_tsJzBzvdi8P0VqpHNvp-ay1Lbgc_LDJ40KB_rHuLTjy9JtNWItuFilRW2RO-RLM8Q0DfBqtNcGf8VULLG-AIUMMQ24BQZ30CV8u0YMD9IjTs/s1600/IMG_0364.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691402171339367138" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS5QPMGInhdpNpqe8QEu_60IbQK4IZWZ_tsJzBzvdi8P0VqpHNvp-ay1Lbgc_LDJ40KB_rHuLTjy9JtNWItuFilRW2RO-RLM8Q0DfBqtNcGf8VULLG-AIUMMQ24BQZ30CV8u0YMD9IjTs/s320/IMG_0364.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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A twenty minute stroll brought me to the temple where I spent the next hour or so wandering around and listening to a very neat religious service of some kind. (Much fire, chanting, and drumming. And lots of people in formal Japanese clerical garb of one kind or another and, thankfully, even more ordinary folks just going to temple for their own reasons so it didn't feel so touristy. Pretty normal assortment of people in their "Sunday" best. Much like a typical church in the west, but without the shoes and with more percussion.)<br />
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The music was splendid. The body of it was microtonal chanting that didn't change pitch much, but was sort of rhythmically fascinating. And the slow rise and fall was really neat. Behind this was some very driving periodic drumming that gradually increased in tempo, with a few different types of bells dropped in from time to time for emphasis.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6GR64gBqhJ_xjWypS7avKwyqI1EPHEJYVpsmDd_ALO2YMfcR8j2z5t5mWai3Byw2zYvGCqHfZzrClqow96lY60VjFmiixOqe5yx7o14FJT8m-fqTYywSWRlwT4-AC8D20uwGCNxkuGM/s1600/IMG_0334.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691403720199400338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim6GR64gBqhJ_xjWypS7avKwyqI1EPHEJYVpsmDd_ALO2YMfcR8j2z5t5mWai3Byw2zYvGCqHfZzrClqow96lY60VjFmiixOqe5yx7o14FJT8m-fqTYywSWRlwT4-AC8D20uwGCNxkuGM/s320/IMG_0334.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Next to the temple was a Japanese garden that reminded me of home, oddly. (The city of my youth is home to a rather large and well regarded Japanese garden called "Seiwa En" or "Garden of Pure Clear Harmony and Peace.") Obviously the garden's (Japanese) creators got it right, as the version in Narita was clearly quite similar.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilt-bee9eJzz4fwHpkbGRPl6SBtt30x8HICArLYM0qRB7fMOHKWQQO2twm55ppWoWbxvRvJpm3Qxcp1hnqbIXLhJUTjZ_oi75U2Y1rCVcSwVCJcc-yYNvlIPgN0ejhDTTblMDADbEt-iE/s1600/IMG_0343.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691403732742375106" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilt-bee9eJzz4fwHpkbGRPl6SBtt30x8HICArLYM0qRB7fMOHKWQQO2twm55ppWoWbxvRvJpm3Qxcp1hnqbIXLhJUTjZ_oi75U2Y1rCVcSwVCJcc-yYNvlIPgN0ejhDTTblMDADbEt-iE/s320/IMG_0343.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbb35GsR3YrufrWVkXXcv5s1vSl0jTHmidfVYo2oWBm7U9PqX7IGfyNMoVUO180g2LUo2kPRMcYhijMGXf0spUGH4KNbJtiMbphkaGIgKLj8cAo0pDzgvdDB3t7PqkPyLFlFOmFLdDLA/s1600/IMG_0344.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691412637267175570" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbb35GsR3YrufrWVkXXcv5s1vSl0jTHmidfVYo2oWBm7U9PqX7IGfyNMoVUO180g2LUo2kPRMcYhijMGXf0spUGH4KNbJtiMbphkaGIgKLj8cAo0pDzgvdDB3t7PqkPyLFlFOmFLdDLA/s320/IMG_0344.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a><br />
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Behind this was a cemetery where I got myself briefly lost: an experience I recommend, so long as you're not in a hurry to catch a flight. (I wasn't, thankfully. It was all quite a good thing.)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4xwR5R-Oi_Neu03V-EAVkIkXavL8SGtUE59peZq78d2swAuniMgBlY_6tClB-dFfVkcUn6Ds9Wa_gt7byFUuDCbwWW0qrR9CB8fVLxVX5XUFVHU8iYUm-lkyQom_DQLWLzuKbUAJbeU/s1600/IMG_0354.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691412637606370002" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv4xwR5R-Oi_Neu03V-EAVkIkXavL8SGtUE59peZq78d2swAuniMgBlY_6tClB-dFfVkcUn6Ds9Wa_gt7byFUuDCbwWW0qrR9CB8fVLxVX5XUFVHU8iYUm-lkyQom_DQLWLzuKbUAJbeU/s320/IMG_0354.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimh19JprkrEIijb3ZFKPjewFdCuKrVu505ksJZRtJI89U3r_v6FGqP_gecxy0PkR5AaUow6rF06CW5ugkkLwRrok2sHGHHn_fhJNO4lXaTedHCzLN6c2gl8VsiZPuWIhj8D4UmDl-Hmf0/s1600/IMG_0355.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691412647155420882" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimh19JprkrEIijb3ZFKPjewFdCuKrVu505ksJZRtJI89U3r_v6FGqP_gecxy0PkR5AaUow6rF06CW5ugkkLwRrok2sHGHHn_fhJNO4lXaTedHCzLN6c2gl8VsiZPuWIhj8D4UmDl-Hmf0/s320/IMG_0355.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jfF1EQjkHX4FLbXnXPjW-u3K9Hv29etAMomLcE74ZMpgIlkfKPKHM-LhDqs06-y7ZNyAaZetXm9jJBMY7GCyPzC48itZLmsvD0Q8xJaL1fc668fmPvxsWx18MTcfu8UHG_OsVAZywS8/s1600/IMG_0356.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5691412649401090818" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jfF1EQjkHX4FLbXnXPjW-u3K9Hv29etAMomLcE74ZMpgIlkfKPKHM-LhDqs06-y7ZNyAaZetXm9jJBMY7GCyPzC48itZLmsvD0Q8xJaL1fc668fmPvxsWx18MTcfu8UHG_OsVAZywS8/s320/IMG_0356.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 240px; width: 320px;" /></a><br />
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Of course, all of this will no doubt bear periodic repeating as time goes forward. I suspect I will be making annual or semi-annual pilgrimages to Ho Chi Minh for Tet, so it should be quite possible to stop through Japan from time to time on the way there or the way back.</div>
</div>
The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-21777726467404537872011-12-09T18:50:00.000-08:002016-08-18T00:46:54.356-07:00Ho Chi Minh City<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucfPRT6VbWxEf41I0FHMZaHXPaWy_RBMnfrC02pJySsbUXdsBj71v8Q6tuwn8WghYFSPBzOBkql3fCywArS4B6861SGt0GYGfCUrC3EfC5JzbhBlwZtc0196qZ-3DvBejC0M6wDV_I4d3/s320/IMG_0262.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucfPRT6VbWxEf41I0FHMZaHXPaWy_RBMnfrC02pJySsbUXdsBj71v8Q6tuwn8WghYFSPBzOBkql3fCywArS4B6861SGt0GYGfCUrC3EfC5JzbhBlwZtc0196qZ-3DvBejC0M6wDV_I4d3/s320/IMG_0262.JPG" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>The city once known as Saigon is a strange and interesting place. Contrary to my first impression there are traffic signals and police officers, but in spite of all that, one's first impression of HCM is probably almost inevitably the traffic. There are something over eight million people here and every single one of them seems to own a motorcycle. Further, there doesn't really seem to be much in the way of segregation by function. Businesses, factories, and homes exist side by side in an uninterrupted cloth.</div><br />The block I'm on has perhaps a half dozen restaurants, two mobile phone shops, a couple of pharmacies, a small factory of some kind, and an admixture of other things I can't immediately identify but which clearly look business like. And of course people eat and sleep in virtually every one of these buildings in back rooms and on upper floors. There are surprisingly few "stand alone" houses here, even by European standards. And virtually nothing actually "stands alone." Streets are fronted with continuous walls of buildings to the sidewalk line and beyond on all sides. Alleys are distinct from streets only by breadth and lack of sidewalks. And everything is filled with the noise of people and traffic and the smells of food are everywhere at all times. Makes any city in the west seem downright quiet and sleepy. (Up to and including New York.)<br /><br />Anyway . . . I can't really convey the whole thing, but here's a little. First, a relatively typical Ho Chi Minh building:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdvGGRGFbK6atYXNTy9_1JYd7c0kfAwjcrf6y1Dq9VqiGAqEcPS3LyhVM93Wm81eZ-uVKSG6do5xw46a51-lALtE5XzgK9E5oKveDjSNTnX2OmWtwQPO5SFZqPIaoSrf8sSHMo7uQ39mn/s320/IMG_0161.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBdvGGRGFbK6atYXNTy9_1JYd7c0kfAwjcrf6y1Dq9VqiGAqEcPS3LyhVM93Wm81eZ-uVKSG6do5xw46a51-lALtE5XzgK9E5oKveDjSNTnX2OmWtwQPO5SFZqPIaoSrf8sSHMo7uQ39mn/s320/IMG_0161.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a><br /><br />Christmas is apparently celebrated here, and it feels . . . strange. Here's a shop selling little santa suits in all sizes:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakgZbpgGUDL9LB5csy6soUAlu1P2taffIzQGCs62wvzOC9W-KMM-dvKIs01DRzUVBKld1j4V1TATx2CyNhAISFeQKF6J8-wXv1R01-NlnPMA6A23wdyoqdKpCtSPTZB52H2IpnjIN_S3v/s400/IMG_0162.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiakgZbpgGUDL9LB5csy6soUAlu1P2taffIzQGCs62wvzOC9W-KMM-dvKIs01DRzUVBKld1j4V1TATx2CyNhAISFeQKF6J8-wXv1R01-NlnPMA6A23wdyoqdKpCtSPTZB52H2IpnjIN_S3v/s400/IMG_0162.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br /><br />A little piece of the local telecom infrastructure:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx48TG0H2Ncq-H0BgEKBvFESIFcsFsqBErerW3EBxyadOrzZh6e_UBxCQ8S8iR_sD5wtmIDjpMaI_NRavRbQ25QZn7sWKdLpu3trama1iPBO52FoMJ_-rC3v1tZvzifgagTj74SKSRNA_k/s400/IMG_0164.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx48TG0H2Ncq-H0BgEKBvFESIFcsFsqBErerW3EBxyadOrzZh6e_UBxCQ8S8iR_sD5wtmIDjpMaI_NRavRbQ25QZn7sWKdLpu3trama1iPBO52FoMJ_-rC3v1tZvzifgagTj74SKSRNA_k/s400/IMG_0164.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br /><br />This is about how a typical street feels:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAPU77c5ZatrbXteBqtgEXJX4EmvW8xrFQQhrUYx6zki0tUfxdFUipKZuaYOjp7zaifVs9b0CsuQRfSX1O63SPSZGo6UDBgw-n9ImJlqf_ATP9GwY2ACX2EW-Lsn_MULEXFgEDm8mYjjp/s400/IMG_0251.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPAPU77c5ZatrbXteBqtgEXJX4EmvW8xrFQQhrUYx6zki0tUfxdFUipKZuaYOjp7zaifVs9b0CsuQRfSX1O63SPSZGo6UDBgw-n9ImJlqf_ATP9GwY2ACX2EW-Lsn_MULEXFgEDm8mYjjp/s400/IMG_0251.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br /><br />As you get into the older part of town, district one, there are a number of older and larger buildings and even some colonial remnants that have been converted into museums of one kind or another:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXJF-7ahRklF09CB6vx05vLkaGHwtEUZ3CM4riCawxXE_XXEDrjeK0Bp61cR3SXU3qombr0ZbVKoRhFVKmECZ_sYvGb0vsOcgawbX4v2IrGi7MUP0GBN_a9DZ83YcjTN2MfbQqNLX6Ww3/s320/IMG_0245.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRXJF-7ahRklF09CB6vx05vLkaGHwtEUZ3CM4riCawxXE_XXEDrjeK0Bp61cR3SXU3qombr0ZbVKoRhFVKmECZ_sYvGb0vsOcgawbX4v2IrGi7MUP0GBN_a9DZ83YcjTN2MfbQqNLX6Ww3/s320/IMG_0245.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a><br /><br />No trip to the east would be complete without a visit to a local temple of some kind. I tossed a few bucks into the collection box in gratitude for letting me take pictures. This one is a fairly typical Buddhist example:<br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLX0MwDZrbfkXj-HtsTbZIQdu5L3W-1UPbZeh855KjmfiJEohIGeQAYR7uMVp2K0hxNaKf6bpWFxQSVz9n7OXkS66LF0OQFESDm9UZ8VjHhWP_zncZqJpvdPpbRMVNKvpj5AYk2xb0OWhb/s320/IMG_0256.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1y7ryTa8WXs39azKKur86l2FBdldvzHKrx815BII4JYnlqhIEXyRvN97XaSFc8aO_zmsAbQmXnAjp1GMLsOOvDriLcNfGM1I88zV33_MSgq_vf9IwN3SMLiM-g3Rg8DKiie_WKNCfOQ0L/s320/IMG_0257.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1y7ryTa8WXs39azKKur86l2FBdldvzHKrx815BII4JYnlqhIEXyRvN97XaSFc8aO_zmsAbQmXnAjp1GMLsOOvDriLcNfGM1I88zV33_MSgq_vf9IwN3SMLiM-g3Rg8DKiie_WKNCfOQ0L/s320/IMG_0257.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a><br /><br /><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzyp4dhpQj0vUmZ9Xub9vZc5jt5eAnv2QWbyjhvLbOgsq95f_RpfwJ4R_jt4vR8YQABTLcC0HfctjPtKtslNpCUuzdshtlrldxH-AG87BZNVC0RFtt38SQODfC5MYKRcEQW493DcqUGPHZ/s320/IMG_0259.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucfPRT6VbWxEf41I0FHMZaHXPaWy_RBMnfrC02pJySsbUXdsBj71v8Q6tuwn8WghYFSPBzOBkql3fCywArS4B6861SGt0GYGfCUrC3EfC5JzbhBlwZtc0196qZ-3DvBejC0M6wDV_I4d3/s320/IMG_0262.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucfPRT6VbWxEf41I0FHMZaHXPaWy_RBMnfrC02pJySsbUXdsBj71v8Q6tuwn8WghYFSPBzOBkql3fCywArS4B6861SGt0GYGfCUrC3EfC5JzbhBlwZtc0196qZ-3DvBejC0M6wDV_I4d3/s320/IMG_0262.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a><br /><br />Of course, Saigon was and still is a port city. You can see everything from sampans loaded down with rice on the rivers to cruise ships anchored downtown. The little tour boat went zipping by while we visited one of the museums:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO6dLJqMM3C_1hDe8jw3V6_lKCJkA2Qo1mxVCXuPjBnCoHGHU9jOiPMZmfZYc95OmLpX5Aq7pscBJwqIQSa9UZrNbGf4Kj1To26rGWY0SbRM91yldYS1oi5n2dUjkkz0otaKiECtrycA2Z/s400/IMG_0238.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO6dLJqMM3C_1hDe8jw3V6_lKCJkA2Qo1mxVCXuPjBnCoHGHU9jOiPMZmfZYc95OmLpX5Aq7pscBJwqIQSa9UZrNbGf4Kj1To26rGWY0SbRM91yldYS1oi5n2dUjkkz0otaKiECtrycA2Z/s400/IMG_0238.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br /><br />Here's a little glimpse of the skyline, which isn't tall yet, but it's growing:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qXJ622l0fR1MI8oOpKgJ9yFFJESvposgRtRygVEbKREZkgu5j0nED5Za10lWKuD7dYnxrQK-nSnMhKhHKea3WFFhdv5ucy4GHwKYml-stKmugDMsTaDocJkB_Te-mHrFv6hfn4OBl4XR/s400/IMG_0243.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3qXJ622l0fR1MI8oOpKgJ9yFFJESvposgRtRygVEbKREZkgu5j0nED5Za10lWKuD7dYnxrQK-nSnMhKhHKea3WFFhdv5ucy4GHwKYml-stKmugDMsTaDocJkB_Te-mHrFv6hfn4OBl4XR/s400/IMG_0243.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br /><br />There's lots more I could show you, of course, and in a week I've only scratched the surface, but I hope this taste meets your approval. I'll close with this shot of a back alley near the main market that's become a motorcycle parking lot:<br /><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwe6c5U1wTvWRWz8ORdhIKx7Z7n-8ajcVUc4kmQGCzplO0iN37cPCV-HbEvstqtgSuY-EWSV_N1HwsW1dJM5s86cJQxb2REOo9tJfRuL-O1J5ANtZiCLXzagxFeK1tuzu8A5OTLqO4nP6/s320/IMG_0287.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinwe6c5U1wTvWRWz8ORdhIKx7Z7n-8ajcVUc4kmQGCzplO0iN37cPCV-HbEvstqtgSuY-EWSV_N1HwsW1dJM5s86cJQxb2REOo9tJfRuL-O1J5ANtZiCLXzagxFeK1tuzu8A5OTLqO4nP6/s320/IMG_0287.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 320px; width: 240px;" /></a> </div>The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-74239666079346239092011-12-08T19:46:00.000-08:002016-08-18T00:46:54.366-07:00Well, 'tis my last day in Vietnam. All has gone quite well. I've survived noise and traffic and crazy food, and even East Asian dating rituals, I think. I figured out how to pull pictures on here a few days ago (with the aid of a recently purchased device) but haven't had the time since. Today, being a comparatively quiet day, I have the time.<br /><br /><br /><br />So here's Mai Hong and I in the hotel room shortly after I got to Ho Chi Minh City:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2HC3qoeP0K0WUl9hwkgMIW4qQC8-Iu3bIGwwG2y-uF3I9a5smQZEp678N67DRhez2tg34fQn8fnsBtK2zlCta4qT6C7ySKhpS8vaJXA2QcgKuy8AgIZpQtZSVGuPnn9PwhmjF9qIPJZo4/s400/IMG_0016.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2HC3qoeP0K0WUl9hwkgMIW4qQC8-Iu3bIGwwG2y-uF3I9a5smQZEp678N67DRhez2tg34fQn8fnsBtK2zlCta4qT6C7ySKhpS8vaJXA2QcgKuy8AgIZpQtZSVGuPnn9PwhmjF9qIPJZo4/s400/IMG_0016.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br /><br />Her brother in law Hung runs this little cell phone shop:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiepHG5p7qkl_Xp-HFvFHbJu5_am0EAsIGLMJWYuBMMwRLFRE4l3otpLNj_7xok5pGDcNiuBrMWHF21L5sv-xm2aLEDEgZsGyV7tmWLNS2WE6pzYhQwNuMvH253BOzhhyphenhyphenK8ToXP6TtLbFV/s400/IMG_0021.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiepHG5p7qkl_Xp-HFvFHbJu5_am0EAsIGLMJWYuBMMwRLFRE4l3otpLNj_7xok5pGDcNiuBrMWHF21L5sv-xm2aLEDEgZsGyV7tmWLNS2WE6pzYhQwNuMvH253BOzhhyphenhyphenK8ToXP6TtLbFV/s400/IMG_0021.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a> <br /><div><br />Her parents live in a smaller city called Cai Lay, and her father raises chickens and ducks:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7v9E5B3yJWH6H-s13tkLLMLMr7DldwY5n7aMWsNByIDfr_aCn-6I-9dwAn61ojJ5U7p9_Mqmp2pf0ryOOJhU2nIW6vxs7g_-UC5dTlOv-zg7Pi7oG2EFRSlFglAz3jIqrqIUyapqYQbV/s400/IMG_0064.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO7v9E5B3yJWH6H-s13tkLLMLMr7DldwY5n7aMWsNByIDfr_aCn-6I-9dwAn61ojJ5U7p9_Mqmp2pf0ryOOJhU2nIW6vxs7g_-UC5dTlOv-zg7Pi7oG2EFRSlFglAz3jIqrqIUyapqYQbV/s400/IMG_0064.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br /><br />Her older sister lives in a city famous for its beaches. She brought down some fresh crabs. (You can drag any kind of food, living or dead, more or less anywhere but the western chain coffee joint.) These apparently came down with her on the train and then took the bus with us later before eventually winding up as dessert.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4VPSTovqo9KQ0c3Vuc0Ua6YmKNVk-ytj8R9Al89apAaWV7qT3KZqP0Sfqx_c-bbYVDLufZTXG2MOI2l_ecbBy2OCPNLI1LJkpolF_trLwsdizgScksShVq031vm7IOwRFbiIDgJtfa9V/s400/IMG_0059.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG4VPSTovqo9KQ0c3Vuc0Ua6YmKNVk-ytj8R9Al89apAaWV7qT3KZqP0Sfqx_c-bbYVDLufZTXG2MOI2l_ecbBy2OCPNLI1LJkpolF_trLwsdizgScksShVq031vm7IOwRFbiIDgJtfa9V/s400/IMG_0059.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br /><br />Here we are having dinner. From right to left: the composer, Mai Hong, her younger sister Mai Tham, her mother, and her father:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9XE8NUEeaM09ZDjGQkMgH0uAYL71sCZxycDFBW2yc3JD3wH5yQ80jXrK6i30WmyOdIf5BR6KQvYHfcYs2RipdkbsXikMfAXKQQzcAiyJhayVef8H2RrV_8PNCVqLaCD0f1mB6pPJnLK_/s400/IMG_0085.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt9XE8NUEeaM09ZDjGQkMgH0uAYL71sCZxycDFBW2yc3JD3wH5yQ80jXrK6i30WmyOdIf5BR6KQvYHfcYs2RipdkbsXikMfAXKQQzcAiyJhayVef8H2RrV_8PNCVqLaCD0f1mB6pPJnLK_/s400/IMG_0085.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br /><br />The next day her sisters fetted me with a birthday party Vietnam style:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSKIUkAJVnQGhiIAM1T3ugli1CmAr6SvKk-_dcH7CCCAXluG6hm-b6a2MlI3FsImK852Uo3q9AvxrBSElmZI6GEfi0ovkdZMOmAxBZ76c1nWIsPCF0J7WNWlN2nEFXp597sTglnMu1adK2/s400/IMG_0102.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSKIUkAJVnQGhiIAM1T3ugli1CmAr6SvKk-_dcH7CCCAXluG6hm-b6a2MlI3FsImK852Uo3q9AvxrBSElmZI6GEfi0ovkdZMOmAxBZ76c1nWIsPCF0J7WNWlN2nEFXp597sTglnMu1adK2/s400/IMG_0102.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; height: 300px; width: 400px;" /></a><br /><br />The young one is called something along the lines of "bean" and belongs with Mai Hong's older sister.<br /><br />Will add some pictures about HCM City itself in a second post, but I'll cut the first one here to keep it from getting unwieldy.</div>The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-21739824644372960312011-12-02T06:44:00.000-08:002016-08-18T00:46:54.352-07:00More on VietnamWell, there are traffic lights in Saigon after all. Went for a lengthy drive about town yesterday, or ride, I should say, as I was perched atop the back of Mai Hong's sister's scooter. I got to be her bitch! :D<br /><br />If you hadn't gathered this from the last post, scooters are the preferred mode of transportation in Saigon/ Ho Chi Minh City. In a city of 8 million people squeezed into an area the size of . . . oh, who knows, but a small area, anyway . . . Central Park? . . . (Not quite that small) but in such a small dense area it only makes sense. New York could learn a thing or two. Traffic would flow a lot better indeed in Manhattan if the car/motorcycle ratio were similar. And if there were so few traffic lights. Yeah, you'd have to make the speed limit maybe 20 mph, but that's what . . . ten times as fast as a crosstown bus right now?<br /><br />Anyway . . . there are traffic lights. And above each one there's a little clock that gives you the time to the next change. Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.<br /><br />So I got to meet Mai Hong's younger sister Mai Tham and her husband Hung yesterday. And his nephew Khanh. Today I met her older sister Mai Hoa and her son. Cute kid, but got terrible motion sickness on the bus. Need to suggest the trail mix treatment. I seem to recall that helped my ex a great deal. The bus, you see, brought us to a smaller city called Cai Lay where Mai Hong's parents live. So now I've also met her mother, father, and paternal grandmother. All these things I've seen only in her pictures. Good times.<br /><br />And tonight we will feast upon fresh crab. (You have to step over them to get to the facilities.) Things are different in different countries, you see. And in VN the crabs stay as guests in your kitchen before you invite them to be the main course. (A swan gets to sing a lovely song about that phenomenon in Orf's Carmina Burana. "I used to be white and lovely, and now I'm extra crispy."<br /><br />Had a duck egg last night. And inside the egg, of course, was a duck embryo. Tasted much like very very tender chicken. You just eat the sucker whole. (Or you eat all of it anyway, one little piece at a time.) The albumen is QUITE a lot harder than that in unfertalized chicken eggs. It's as though the liquid parts of the egg become quite solid, but the "solid" parts become very very soft. Not bad, all told, if you can get past any initial reaction you might have.<br /><br />Which is to say Vietnam is, first and foremost, a blooming food adventure. Well, second and secondmost. First it's a way to meet Mai Hong. Second it's food.<br /><br />More later.The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-32246790292569966422011-12-01T00:01:00.000-08:002016-08-18T00:46:54.361-07:00The Three Bs of Travel to Vietnam or . . .Bad Flights, Bustling Cities, and Beautiful Girls<br /><br /><br /><br />Well, the flight from St. Louis to Ho Chi Minh City is behind me, and I have been introduced to the Vietnamese Noodle Joint in the authentic style. (Delicious.)<br /><br />The flight wasn't really so bad, but the plane felt more like a cattle car than human transportation. And fourteen hours in a cattle car with a splitting headache and no analgesics is enough to level anyone, I think. Or nearly so. Fortunately, I was able to buy some in Shanghai. (Where the airport employees spoke surprisingly broken English for such an international city, and I no Mandarin. Und mein Deutsch war completely useless, of course. Note to self: learn the language BEFORE traveling to a foreign country. Works better in that order.<br /><br />Fortunately, once I got to Ho Chi Minh City, which some of you may know as Saigon, I connected with my most expert native guide. (Who speaks MUCH better English, thankfully.) So Mai Hong and I are together at last. :) And Saigon is quite lovely. And Mai Hong is most beautiful indeed. (Though she still doesn't believe me when I say that. Maybe in twenty years she'll buy it.)<br /><br />Saigon reminds me a little of a cross between Cologne and Miami blown up to the size of Chicago. (A little bigger, actually.) The streets are narrow and winding. There are no traffic controls to be seen anywhere. (Might possibly have seen one at the airport, but I haven't seen one since, and it was late and I was distracted, so don't quote me on that.) So traffic flows in a remarkably organic but surprisingly logical fashion. And at about twenty miles an hour or so it works.<br /><br />But the Maimi part: the entire city is pastels and stucco. Cheek by jowel and about a four story average. The storefronts are all open and doorless, much like some of the older parts of the Miami area that I've seen. But with roosters and endless processions of sidewalk cafes and noodle joints. It is . . . bustling. Crowded. Alive. Very very very green. Lots of fun so far. A little old and dirty, like any decent city should be. (Don't care much for the new clean ones. You can keep those. Or the ones with more tourists than natives. Don't need those either.)<br /><br />But the best part is this . . .<br /><br />Mai Hong is wonderful and seems to like me. :"> Wish me more luck. So far so good. :D<br /><br />And I swear I will post pictures once I can figure out how to get a computer to talk nicely with the borrowed digital camera. (I still shoot film, but I borrowed a camera for the trip. Which won't talk to Mai Hong's computer, darn the luck.)The Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8347021236739103292.post-19719934085350394542011-11-29T19:31:00.000-08:002016-08-18T00:46:54.343-07:00Over the Ocean and Through the WoodsI've always been jealous of the trips the cool kids on certain sites I frequent take. Even though I've taken some cool trips myself. Well, that's about to change: now you can be jealous of me, cool kids, as I'm taking a pretty awesome cool trip myself. To meet a fellow OKCupider, maihong, even. Tomorrow I hare off to Vietnam. Yep. Vietnam. To a city once called Saigon famous in the U.S. primarily for unscheduled helicopter flights, but in fact larger than Chicago and cooler than L.A.<br /><br />(Well, maybe and maybe not on that second one. Cool is in the eye of the beholder, after all, but I'm excited about it.)<br /><br />Much to see and do. Families to meet. Coffee to drink. A lovely woman to woo. Good times.<br /><br />So wish me luck in my great quest. I shall endeavor to post pictures this time. (Kind of failed to do that when I went to meet wichzenka, soulofsolitude, and mplsindygirl. Oops. Will have to redo that trip one day soon just to prove it really happened.)<br /><br />So anyway, thank you for your patience and well wishes.<br /><br />Sincerely,<br /><br />The ComposerThe Composerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14009448596738385017noreply@blogger.com0